


Storm's Coming

by CravenWyvern



Series: Failed Step One [5]
Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Hinted reincarnation, Lots of Shadows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 21:51:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14724231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CravenWyvern/pseuds/CravenWyvern
Summary: It's only been a few weeks, not even a month yet since Wes has met these people, offered to help them.And already the shadows are too close.





	Storm's Coming

_Dark, so very dark, crawling forward, hands touching the walls and feeling them shrink, close up around him, stuffy air getting colder and dusty and closing in, closing in he can't get out he can't get out he can't-_

Wes woke up with a startled intake of air, jaw tight and hands white knuckled on the chairs arms, whole body tense. The thing on the hood of the car blinked wide eyes at him, only the thin glass separating them, before opening its jaws in a mock yawn.

He broke eye contact first, closing his eyes and exhaling heavily, the faint vestiges of the dream fading into scraps and whisps. 

It took a moment to realize that it was much too quiet in the truck.

With a sudden urgency Wes was up, ignoring the shadow on the hood and the eyes looking in through the windows, and he hurriedly dug out his phone from his pocket, already worrying. The light made him squint, a tight lipped frown as he switched on the flashlight and started to wave the light about, working on not tripping as he navigated around.

The RV was empty.

For a moment he almost thought of the worst, the dream slithering back with its fear, before Wes shook his head and got a hold on himself. It didn't mean anything terrible if no one was in the car with him, it just meant that, maybe, they went out for fresh air.

That didn't really assure him, but still. It was better than panicking, which was the worst thing he could do in this situation.

Taking a deep breath, the man rubbed at his face and wiped away the last traces of sleep still clinging to him and made his way outside, thoroughly quelling his stress and calming himself.

The night air was warm, humid, and Wes had to blink and squint his eyes to get adjusted to the darkness. The metal steps creaked under his weight, hopping down into the dirt and grass with a hand still on the door. A quick glance up told him why it was so dark.

No moon was out tonight, and clouds were covering the stars. He could taste the coming rain in the air itself, atmosphere saturated and making his sweater stick to him uncomfortably.

A sprinkle of conversation caught his ears, finally shutting the RVs door shut behind him and turning to where the kids were.

They shouldn't be up so late; no one should be in fact. They had a lot of driving to do tomorrow, to get to the nearby city by evening hopefully. Someone by the name of Woodie was going to be needing their help, and the questions that everyone had to that were still going unanswered.

Wes frowned, quietly made his way over to the two children sitting under one of the trees of the park, the faint artificial lights from the nearby bathroom lighting up most of the field and fringing the forest. He pursed his lips when he neared, the conversation clearer in sound but not in comprehension.

“I think you're just hungry.”

“M’not.” Webber was rocking, knees brought up to his chin, staring unblinkingly out into the forest. “Just want to go, for a bit. We need to find a-”

Wes hesitated at the noise the boy made, an almost growl before he hid his face, shoulders drawn tight. Wendy sat cross legged across from him, almost looking calm but for the way she fiddled and pulled and ripped out the grass in front of her. Her hands kept traveling back to her pocket, and after a moment she pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes, bowing her head.

“What a terrible headache I'm having. When will it be time, do you think?”

The boy growled again, a low sound that didn't quite sound as human as normal, and Wes wavered from his spot as he tried to figure out what to do.

It's been a harrowing last few days, and the nights where they stopped on the side of the road the car would shudder as the outside darkness pressed and pushed against it. Everyone's been affected by it, and the man was having a harder and harder time trying to keep everything together.

The children had acted strangely since this morning, and their sleeplessness was part of it. If nothing was done, it could get worse.

Maybe he hasn't seen these two when it was bad, but he's seen what happens.

Wilson had walked out, packed his belongings and ran, and Wes had found him hours later bawling his eyes out as things not unlike hands tried to throttle him on the side of the road.

And then there was the incident with the clones, and him having to use his gun…

Wes put on a firm face, a determined one, and marched up to the two children.

Webber balked instantly, jumped back on his hands and feet and bared his teeth at him, but Wendy just looked up at him with hooded eyes and a tight frown.

He put his hands on his hips, looked at them both, and then sighed and started to sign to them, keeping watch on Webbers tense posture.

He wouldn't want the boy to take off running into the woods. All the eyes out there were a warning to not get near, and he was careful to not look at them directly.

“Everyone else had already left.” said Wendy simply, and now he could tell from her face that the little girl was very tired. “It is best if someone kept watch, of course, and Webber desired to help with that.”

“We want to go.” Webber spoke up, not quite meeting Wes's gaze and questioning hands. “Go make a nest, a small one.” 

The boy shuddered suddenly, wrapping his hands around his drawn up knees and squeezing his eyes shut tight, and Wes carefully walked over and stooped down beside him, a worried look on his face.

Wendy tilted her head, eyes closing for a few seconds before opening again, watching as Wes wrapped her friend up in a hug.

Webber latched on instantly, which was a relief in the sense that he wouldn't run, and Wes stood up while holding the child, mouth a thin, worried line. He turned to Wendy, held out his free hand to her and helped her to her feet. The girl wobbled next to him, closing her eyes again and adopting a pained look, hand going to her forehead, making him worry even more.

He led them back to the truck, letting go of Wendys hand only for a moment to open it up again, and it was thankfully an easy task to lead Wendy inside.

Webber was already mostly asleep, not much of a surprise with the stress of what has been going on around them, as well as the tense air in between the adults all day. 

Children should not be caught up in this mess, whatever it truly was. Wes shook his head absentmindedly, ignored the skittering thing looking in from a window that he had been sure he had closed up, not even giving it a glance as he once more shut it. With Webbers weight on him he had to be careful to not fall over, and Wendy leaning up against him with her eyes closed again made it all the harder to get them into the makeshift bedroom.

It wasn't a very large vehicle, and he had gone without cleaning facilities and kitchen things, having only needed a microwave back when he had been working. The table and couches were a must, and the bedroom had a blanket as a door, but Wes hadn't needed much for himself. Everything else was usually always available in a 5 minute radius, and otherwise he just went to his friends for a short stay.

Nowadays, however, he was severely regretting the lack of utilities in his possession, especially with two children under his care now.

He might as well include the other three adults as well; he had no idea when was the last time any of them had bathed, and out of all of them Wilson seemed to be the only one with a second change of clothing. The other two were lacking in that.

Toothbrushes, Wes reminded himself, at some point he'd need to make sure they stopped at a place for toothbrushes and toothpaste. He may have his own, but the kids?

And even just glimpsing the others teeth made his own ache.

This was such a nightmare, and its only been a few weeks. A part of him was still wondering if this was such a good idea.

As he got them into bed, tucking a dozing Webber under the blankets and untangling his arm from the boys grasp, Wendy letting him help her under the covers and then turning away to curl up, face still all scrunched up, Wes’s face fell bit by bit.

He had no idea how these people have been getting along in that tiny car they had before meeting him. Wilson may have had money, but all that driving and all that fast food…

It made him anxious, just thinking about it. Perhaps after the business with this Woodie fellow, he'd take them aside and put up an ultimatum.

Webber shifted about for a moment, bundling the blanket under his chin and huffing out a quiet breath, before the boy reached out with one arm and tugged on the edge of Wes’s sweater.

“Goodnigh’ kiss?” The boy mumbled, eyes still closed but looking a lot less tense, and when Wes leaned over to press a kiss on his forehead Webber shuffled the blankets around him a bit more before wiggling backwards to press back to back against Wendy.

Wes waited a moment, listened as Wendy whispered “Goodnight, don't let the bed bugs bite.”, and heaved a silent sigh as he glanced at one of the closed windows, the faint light of the restroom seeping through the blinds.

The children needed to be taken care of, with more than one pair of clothes and cleaning supplies. This ongoing habit of not cleaning oneself and the lack of schooling, the lack of anything but driving about and avoiding the things out in the dark, needed to change. It wasn't healthy, for children or adults, and it was highly stressful to feel as if he was the only one thinking about it.

If this went along any longer, he'd start to get even more grey hairs than he already had.

That reminded him of something, and Wes suddenly wished Wolfgang had come along.

Alas he had no car to travel, and it would have been even more cramped quarters had he tried.

The man also had a family to support and couldn't go off galavanting like Wes could.

Still, it would have been nice. Wolfgang knew how to get people straightened up and in order, had a way with them. 

Ha, it was probable that, if they met up now, the man would tell him that he has more grey than black hair by now. Wes smiled thinly at his own thoughts, and with one last check over the two children he quietly made his way back outside.

Taking that nap earlier had been a bad idea then. With him out of the picture, the other three had wandered off and the children had followed soon after, believing that they were all alone.

And now he had to herd them back. It was a terrible idea for any of them to be out there without protection. The lights from the building may be helping, but he feared what could end up happening.

No one should be up and wandering at this time of night. The eyes out in the nearby forest attested to that, blinking and watching him silently.

It took a moment to find someone, wandering close to the restrooms before catching a whiff of something burning and the low, almost inaudible chatter of people.

Wes wrinkled his nose at that, slipping around the corner to where he knew Willow was.

Wilson was there as well, pacing, the grass under his feet already well trampled and sorry looking, and the man didn't even take a notice in him. Willow did, dropping the smouldering twigs she was holding and stomping them out before they could catch, her fingers covered in a fine coating of ash and fingernails blackened.

With this humidity and the greenery there wasn't much worry on an uncontrollable fire, but one could never be too careful. Wes gave her a thankful nod, the woman watching him with narrowed eyes before suddenly smiling, baring her teeth almost into a grimace as he started to sign.

“Go slower, can't read ya that quick.” Willow absentmindedly dug out her lighter, fiddled with it while still keeping her gaze focused on him, and after a moment she flipped it open and flicked on the flame. “Your mimings getting better, I think, but I still can't understand jack shit you're trying to say.”

Wes frowned and she turned her attention to her lighter, an almost anxious twitch in her shoulders before she started to flick it on and off, mesmerized by the flame.

Wes hadn't been miming. Perhaps it would be best to try and get Wilsons attention. The man didn't know sign language all that well, but he might understand better than Willow.

When he turned to the other man however, it took a moment to realize that Wilson had curled up on the ground, hands in his hair and trembling badly, the faint sound of mumbling and whispers rising from him. When Wes crouched down, hesitantly laid a hand on a shaking shoulder, Wilson jerked up, clawing into the grass for a moment and scrambling back with a wide eyed expression.

“-just takes a quick moment I need a moment can't find the variable not coming out quite right need gold for it to make. Amulet?” Wilson looked at him but didn't seem as if he was actually seeing him, the bags under his eyes and pale face making him look quite unwell, and Wes chewed on his lower lip as he tried to think of what to do.

“Gold and, and source, source of energy, source of nightmares, gas, gasoline, combine together, smelt it down, into an amulet, need that, but forgetting something, forgetting-” Wes hushed him, finger on the man's lips and startling him enough to not do anything as he hauled Wilson to his feet, hands on his shaking shoulders.

Much like Webber, the man clutched close to him, pressing himself against Wes and shaking terribly, face buried against Wes's chest. He was still mumbling, still not making much sense, and Wes glanced over to Willows clicking and flickering flame.

She was watching them, eyes narrowed slits, hunching her shoulders and looking tense, but when she spoke she sounded more lucid than the man trembling in his arms.

“You're gonna make him worse, doing that.” She sped up her turning off and on of the lighter, hands tight and shaking, and Wes frowned at her tiredly. “Can always get worse, just you wait for Them.”

There was something in the way she said the word, something that made his skin crawl and almost feel the eyes out in the forest watching him, but Wes stubbornly ignored it for now. There were more important things to think about than the shadows crawling in the grass in the corner of his eye.

Carefully he got Wilson to move along with him, a little awkwardly since the shorter man was not at all going to be separating from burying his face against him, but thankfully Willow met him halfway.

She was tensed, eyes darting about before landing on his face, mouth a cruel tooth baring frown, but she slammed her lighter shut, pressed it against her chest as she sidled up to his side and leaned against him, one arm snaking around his own and completely ignoring Wilsons whimpering as she held onto his sleeve tightly. Willow kept glancing around, as if watching, waiting for something, and she hissed out a stressed sound from behind her teeth.

“Safety in numbers, right mime boy?”

Not quite as lucid as he wished them to be, but with his own glance about and the large, slithering thing he just caught sight of Wes narrowed his own eyes and led them back to the truck with sure, somewhat stumbling steps.

Perhaps if he had been in a less tired, more aware state, he'd be questioning this more, wonder if it was safe to put two obviously unstable adults in with two obviously stressed kids.

But, Wes was fairly sure that by now he was on the same level.

There was a faint whispering near his ear, raising the hair on the back of his neck as he stubbornly ignored it, that agreed with him.

Getting Wilson into the truck was easier thought of than done, but Willow shuffled her feet and muttered out a few curses, pushed him to the side and yanked the shorter man away from Wes. It made him wince, the sudden flash of horror and panic on Wilson's face, eyes darting about and flinching away from nothing at all, but then Willow grabbed him by the shoulders and wrapped him into a rather rough looking hug.

He calmed instantly, almost going limp in her arms as he buried his face into her shoulder, and when Willow looked back at him Wes was rather surprised by the confused, tightly stressed look she was giving him. She didn't look quite as intense as before, still shaken, but when she spoke again he could hear the lucidity, even if she slurred a bit as if she had just woken up.

“We definitely need some sleep, don't we?”

Wes nodded, relief at how she seemed to realize the situation, and Willow huffed out a breath and nodded, as if to herself.

“I'll get him to lie down then.” 

Before she got into the truck, however, she flashed her gaze to Wes's watching face, the patience still in him even with his mental fatigue.

“The kids are in here right?” Willow grew worried, hands tightening around Wilson, who let out a mumbling sputter of incomprehensible noise before quieting. “I didn't even think of them, I completely forgot-”

Wes interrupted her with vigorous nodding, his hands moving already even though he knew she could not understand him, and after a moment the woman seemed to relax, face still ragged but not as stressed, only exhausted. She gave Wes a look, equal parts relief and appreciation and confused questioning, before turning and getting Wilson into the truck, mumbling to him and trying to get him to let go of her.

Wes waited, and then shut the door behind them.

The thing on the hood of the RV watched him, unblinking and twitching ever so slightly.

Wes turned away, rubbed a hand over his face with care, took a deep breath and then went off to look for the last person in their little group.

Him being alone with the shadows has already ended badly before; a second time, in the middle of the night, would not turn out all too well.

It took longer this time, circling the restrooms and checking around the RV, ignoring the faint eyes out in the dark. The night seemed empty feeling now, no ambience, no bugs or movement besides himself, the only sound being the faint buzz of the bathrooms clear lights. The clouds were slowly moving along, and Wes clicked his tongue, closed his eyes for a second as something slithered out in front of him, and then continued on his way. A storm was coming, soon, and he hoped they'd be able to weather it in a hotel somewhere, not locked up in his stuffy truck.

Wes sighed, stretching his arms and tugging at his humid sticky sweater as he started to scour the edges of the forest.

Worry was starting to worm in his chest, worry and frustration and helplessness. He shouldn't have to be doing this.

He shouldn't have to be herding these people, shouldn't have to guide and watch and make sure everyone was safe. The man has never been like that, not even in grade school, and Wolfgang was more of the guardian than any of his other friends. Wes has never had this sort of responsibility.

And he's never taken care of children before either. Entertaining was one thing, actually being a parent was another, and he's tried to stay well enough away from that scene.

He was a traveling man, pennies and dimes, what more was there to say? He had no place he called home, and he never wanted to be shackled down either. Moving, traveling, all this was part of him, and has been since he dropped out of high school.

This whole situation was a mite different to what he was used to. Children tagging along, and these people.

God, these damnable people who, for some reason, in some way, had these-

A tendril flickered by him, slithered through the grass, translucent and dark and curling, and he briefly glimpsed a wide set of eyes looking at him from the dark between two trees before Wes turned away.

All he could do was take it as it was, go with the flow as best as he could. Asking got him nowhere, and it seemed like the others had little clue either.

Well, besides the old man, the first one of the group Wes had “officially” met back at that festival. Wolfgang had thought he was part of the attraction, and to be honest Maxwell had almost tricked him as well. 

But then the girl had shown up, and the little boy after her, begging for balloons and performances. Wes worked free of charge, lived on tips no matter what Wolfgang worried about, and out of the three only Webber had known sign language at all, and only very little.

That had been a good thing, what with all the jokes and innuendos Wes kept bothering Wolfgang with, little sideways glances at the man who looked as if he should be one of the attractions stage masters. For all he had known at the time, the older gentleman was just some little girls uncle who was very obviously trying to not enjoy himself.

And, with how much it seemed to be bugging the two kids, Wes had worked a small deal with Wolfgang; festivals were a local thing, not all that often, and seeing these two kids look glum with their grumpy uncle was just not right. That had to be fixed, and quickly too; it was never good to see a child frown at a festival!

Wolfgang had taken on the kids, and Wes had mimed and hopped about and took on the task of seeing to it that this man actually had as much fun as his niece and nephew were going to have!

It really wasn't often when he focused his time into making a festival experience for some individual or other quite something, and this one seemed just like every other time Wes would act goofy and a little awkward around someone he wanted to see smile.

Up until that whole thing with the tent, and the clones, and the living shadows, and Wolfgang almost getting run over.

What a hell of a ride.

Wes skirted around the restrooms one more time, feeling a little off balance. It was dead silent out here, and it was eating at his nerves now.

Where the hell did that man wander off to?

Something flickered by him, Wes swaying on his feet as he stubbornly ignored it, peripheral vision picking up on it anyway. Wide eyes, glinting and disjointed and many, and he sucked in a deep breath of air and held it as the thing slowly slithered away, no indication of its presence left behind whatsoever.

It took a moment for him to realize most of the tendrils and shapeless masses were moving steadily in one direction, right behind him.

With that Wes spun on his heel, avoided looking at the swirling mass of something that watched him intently from the tree line, and found himself very suddenly-

-running right into the person he was looking for.

The other man didn't step back, stiffly looking down at him as something flickered close to Wes’s leg, and already he knew something was wrong.

“What are you doing here?” There was a sneer there, sharp and bristled as Maxwell glowered at him, hands tight on the book he held close to his chest. “Go bother someone else for once in your life, I don't need an annoyance hanging about.”

Wes might have gotten offended awhile back, might have turned around right then and there, but the fact of the matter was-

-this has happened before, and in no way was the other man in his right mind. It was similar to Wilson; after all, Wes has handled the both of them like this before.

It wasn't a comforting thing, to always be the one to guide Wilson out of his dazed mumbling or Maxwell out of...whatever this was, but it wasn't as if he had any other options.

Or that anyone else could do it.

Wes started to sign, not at all balking from how the other man seemed to lean ever so slightly forward to try and tower over him, keeping his hands steady and face neutral in an attempt to not aggravate the surrounding shadows.

Being so close to the forest line was gnawing on the back of his mind, the red flags of eyes in the dark and hints of movements making him want to diffuse the situation as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately it wasn't that easy.

“Stop that, I have no patience for your games.” Maxwell moved as if to brush his hands away but stopped as Wes face hardened into a frown, and the other man's own face darkened. “I have things to do tonight, so I'd much rather you just piss off!”

Wes watched as Maxwell huffed, shoulders shaking even as he rose himself up tall, and his hands stilled for a moment as he tried to think of a better way. Getting the man into the truck, away from the shadows, will be hard if he isn't in his right mind, not to mention any possible danger that could arise from all that.

Last time, the man had fainted. It's the sort of thing that happens when terrifying things that shouldn't exist start to pile on top of you.

The memory was unpleasant, and Wes frowned absentmindedly, almost missing the rising darkness rolling out of the forest line.

It rose up, high, and maybe the change in Wes’s expression tipped him off but when Maxwell twisted around with a snarl the swirling dark suddenly unhinged, almost ripped itself in half, and-

That was a lot of eyes in there.

Wes didn't even think twice.

Lunging forward, wrapping his hand around Maxwells wrist, Wes jerked him back as the shadow throbbed and lurched forward, halves stitching closed in a silent, but powerful snap. The other man stammered something, stumbled back and the shadow rose again in a silent scream but Wes was already moving, Maxwell in tow.

He glanced once at the RV, thoughts flickering in his mind of the children and the other two, before Wes changed direction, practically dragging the other man behind him in a sprint to the brick restrooms.

Even silent, he could practically hear, practically feel that thing behind them, the way it moved and snapped its jaws, blinked its many eyes.

More things slithered about in his peripheral vision, tendrils almost looking as if to trip him up, to coil around them both, but he set his face, ducked his head, and ran, Maxwell stumbling before finding his footing and keeping close behind.

Maybe it was the artificial lights, maybe it was just how fast he was, but whatever the case nothing caught them as Wes skidded into one of the bathrooms. Which one wasn't exactly on the forefront of his mind, and he swung around, hand still tightly clamped onto Maxwells wrist as he stared at the entrance, body tense and waiting, panting for breath.

Nothing even murmured past the door, nothing moved, silent. The lights, for a brief moment, flickered, spastic and clicking loudly in the quiet, before stilling.

Wes watched, still, sucking in breaths of air and tense as a wound up spring, the only sound being Maxwells own puffing for breath. The building was silent, still, and after a long moment the air lifted, the dark outside lessening drastically.

Another moment passed before Wes loosened up, straightened as he kept narrowed eyes to the entrance, but then the other man cleared his throat, a rather nervous, sudden sound to make him turn his head, loosen his grip and let the man have his arm back.

Maxwell wasn't looking at him, book held tight to his chest, but his stance was not as aggressive nor as standoffish as before, fingers twiddling together nervously.

“I...apologize for that.”

Wes stayed still, eyeing him sharply, and the other man cleared his throat again, one hand going to his suit collar and absentmindedly adjusting it, before finally looking him in the eye.

“I suppose I owe you?” The man winced at the look Wes was giving him. “...Again?”

He considered it for a moment, pursing his lips as he watched Maxwell ever so slightly shift from one foot to the other, before nodding, once, sharply.

He knew placing the blame of the things outside on this man wasn't the most logical, but so far Maxwell seemed to be the root of the damn creatures and at this point, having known him for such a short time and already having placed himself in danger before now, for a stranger, for a group of strangers, Wes was starting to weigh his options.

He'd never leave the children, and in all honesty he couldn't leave any of them, but he couldn't keep doing this. For one thing, he wasn't at all equipped for this sort of thing, living shadows and dark arts, for another, he couldn't keep protecting all of them, all the time.

If he was to help them, in any way, he was going to need that help in return.

But now was not the time to be sorting this all out.

“If it is any comfort for you to know-” Maxwell paused a moment, closing his eyes before pressing a hand to his forehead, adopting a stance similar to the niece Wes had helped tonight. “-I did not intend for that to happen.”

Wes raised his hands, hesitantly as he thought, waited for Maxwell to open his eyes before signing, slowly as the man squinted and watched, mouth a thin frown.

After a moment he closed his eyes again, shook his head with a hard, uncomfortable look on his face, and Wes paused as the man turned away, towards the entrance.

“I don't think I have the energy to understand you right now.” There was a tsked intake of air, Maxwell stiffening his shoulders as he thought, and Wes was frowning but there was very little he could do.

The hazards of traveling with people who could not understand him, but he's had lots of experience by now. As long as he could get a few things across, then it would be fine.

After a moment he walked up to the other man, lightly tapped him on the arm to get his attention. He rolled his shoulders, loosened up his arms as Maxwell raised an eyebrow at him, but the instant he started to act the mans face lit up ever so slightly.

Cars were easy to perform, just show off the wheel, and so was sleeping, hands clasped and tilting his head to lay his cheek against them with his eyes closed, and to finish he dramatically pointed at Maxwell, moving his feet to twirl around the other man and gesture a half bow with his arms swung in a ‘go before me’ look.

Oddly enough, the man seemed to understand this better than any sign language.

“While I certainly would like to, I also don't quite know how many are still out there.”

Wes clawed his hands, snapped them together like the jaws of a crocodile, and then ran in place before jerking around and slashing his hands in an X mark, closing one eye as he looked at Maxwell, face as neutral as ever.

Maxwell folded his arms, book held to him as he narrowed his eyes.

“That is not such a good idea.” He emphasised the ‘not’ part, lip curling in a sneer that was probably supposed to be a frown but it was obviously not directed to Wes. He followed the mans gaze, towards the entrance of the bathroom, and for a moment he held his breath and waited.

The lights did not flicker, and it was silent out there.

When Wes turned back to Maxwell, watched the man rub his eyes and exhale heavily, he pursed his lips and waited.

They couldn't stay in here forever, and with the silence outside they may have gotten away just fine. It seemed to him that nothing was out there, not anymore anyway, so this hesitance was a waste of time.

Time, Wes thought, that the both of them could be catching up on rest with.

If there was one out there though…

With the shake of his head, a heavy frown dragging on his face, the adrenaline that had gotten him sprinting here finally becoming overbearing fatigue, eyes becoming harder and harder to keep open, Wes huffed in a silent breath and made his decision.

With a swift swing of his step, completely set now, Wes turned away and proceeded to walk right out of the building.

Passing the entrance and now he could see they had ended up on the woman's side of things, artificial light bathing the signs in white and keeping the shadows at bay. Glancing around the grassy opened area, only briefly gazing over the forests tree line, Wes put his hands on his hips and nodded to himself, pleased. There was nothing out here, no more withering shadows.

The clicking of the other man's shoes on tile and smooth stone followed after him a moment later, Wes glancing over to see a tired frown and dark eyes glowering at him, but Maxwell said nothing. Just a huff, standing up straighter and pretending that he didn't care at all, and Wes rolled his eyes but at least the situation was now behind them both.

At least until the next time, but hopefully they'd be more prepared. Wes would hope so; he didn't want to think of what would happen if one of them got caught in those shadowy jaws.

For a moment it seemed as if Maxwell wanted to speak, face drawn and unsure, but instead kept his silence. 

The air seemed less heavy now, still humid and warm but not as thick, and Wes closed his eyes for a moment and breathed out a heavy sigh.

Then he started forward, to the truck, the other man following close behind.

It was only going to get harder from here, he knew.

But he'll get through it; they all will. Wes would do his best to make sure of that.


End file.
